Urban Indians prefer to avoid those opposing their political views

Urban Indians, according to a survey done for the BBC, believe that those having opposing political views from their own, are not worth having a discussion on the same.

The survey was conducted by Paris-based Ipsos in 27 countries involving 20,000 adults through online panels, from November 26 to December 7, last year. While 24 per cent of people across the globe were found to be having this opinion, in India, 35 per cent respondents agreed with it, the highest of all the countries surveyed.

The survey revealed that urban Indians “think ill of those having different political view than theirs.” Indians who were surveyed were more urban, educated and even affluent, which means the results cannot be generalised for the entire nation.

It was found that 44 per cent of the Indians surveyed think that people who hold opposing political views “don’t care about people like them”, which is more than the global average of 31 pc who believe in the same opinion.

While 43% of Indians said that their political opposers do not care about the future of the country, a meagre 28% held similar view across the globe. Indians occupy the second position in the globe to hold this belief, after Turkey wherein 46% respondents agreed with this statement.

Despite friction with the political opposers, Indians engage more with people of divergent views than anyone else in the globe. Around 56% of Indians said that they talk to those opposing their political views at least once in a week, while only 35% of people do this across the globe.

With regard to social media, Indians are more likely to be optimistic about their capacity in “breaking down barriers between the public and people in power”. Nearly 63% Indians agreed with this, while only 44% of global respondents concurred with this.

Indians are happy that the social media like Twitter and Facebook are helping common man get connected with those in power. It is like a dream come true for them, said Parijat Chakraborthy, head of Ipsos India’s public affairs, in a press release.

Further, they also laud the merits of social platforms for facilitating interaction. On the downside, social platforms are criticised for being divisive, he added. This survey gains significance ahead of the crucial general elections in India.